Mounting device for fan

ABSTRACT

A mounting device for fixing a fan having a main body and two opposite boards includes a base board and two blocks to be mounted on opposite sides of the main body. The base board forms two rods. Each block defines a fixing hole in which a corresponding one of the rods is engaged.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Relevant subject matter is disclosed in the pending U.S. patentapplications, all titled “MOUNTING DEVICE FOR FAN”, respectively filedon Apr. 2, 2012, with the application Ser. No. 13/437,025, filed on Apr.12, 2012, with the application Ser. No. 13/444,875, filed on Apr. 13,2012, with the application Ser. No. 13/445,940, and on Apr. 17, 2012,with the application Ser. No. 13/448,425, which are assigned to the sameassignee as this patent application.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a device for mounting fans.

2. Description of Related Art

Many electronic devices use fans to cool internal components. The fansmay be mounted to a rack by a plurality of screws, and then is mountedin an electronic device together with the rack, which adds to the costof the rack.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many aspects of the present embodiments can be better understood withreference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings arenot necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed uponclearly illustrating the principles of the present embodiments.Moreover, in the drawings, all the views are schematic, and likereference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the severalviews.

FIG. 1 is an exploded, isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of amounting device, together with a plurality of fans, wherein the mountingdevice includes two blocks.

FIG. 2 is inverted view showing the blocks mounted to one of the fans.

FIG. 3 is an assembled, isometric view of the mounting device and thefans of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The disclosure, including the accompanying drawings, is illustrated byway of example and not by way of limitation. It should be noted thatreferences to “an” or “one” embodiment in this disclosure are notnecessarily to the same embodiment, and such references mean at leastone.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a mounting device for fixing aplurality of fans 10. The mounting device includes a base board 20 and aplurality of blocks 30.

Each fan 10 includes a hollow and substantially rectangular main body 11and two spaced boards 12 connected to opposite ends of the main body 11.The main body 11 defines a depressed portion 110 in each of two lowersides. Each board 12 defines two corner holes 120 in a lower portion ofthe board 12.

The base board 20 forms a plurality of rods 22. Each rod 22 has atapered distal end.

Each block 30 has a substantially triangular cross-section, and includesa bottom wall 32, a sidewall 34 substantially perpendicularly extendingup from a first side of the bottom wall 32, two end walls 38substantially perpendicularly extending up from opposite ends of thebottom wall 32, a concave surface 36 connected between a top side of thesidewall 34 and a second side of the bottom wall 32 opposite to thefirst side. The concave surface 36 is also connected to the end walls38. A protrusion 380 extends out from each of the end walls 38. Aguiding surface 382 slantingly extends from a top of each protrusion 380toward a distal end of the protrusion 380. A fixing hole 300 is definedin the block 30 and extends through the bottom wall 32 and an upperportion of the concave surface 36. Two slots 302 are defined in theblock 30, at opposite sides of the fixing hole 300, each slot 302extends through the bottom wall 32, the sidewall 34, and a lower portionof the concave surface 36. Therefore, the block 30 has two deformablecantilevers 304 divided by the slots 302 and formed at opposite ends ofthe block 30.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, in mounting each fan 10 to the base board20, two blocks 30 are aligned with and moved toward the correspondingdepressed portions 110 of the fan 10. The guiding surfaces 382 abutagainst bottoms of the corresponding boards 12 to deform the cantilevers304 toward each other. The distal end surfaces of the protrusions 380slidably abut against inner surfaces of the corresponding boards 12,until the protrusions 380 align with the corresponding corner holes 120.The cantilevers 304 are restored to push the protrusions 380 to engagein the corresponding corner holes 120. Therefore, the blocks 30 arereceived in the corresponding depressed portions 110, and are sandwichedbetween the boards 12. The concave surfaces 36 are contacted with thebottom walls of the corresponding depressed portions 112.

The fixing holes 300 firmly fit about the corresponding rods 22, therebyfixing the fan 10 to the base board 20.

In uninstalling one of the fans 10, the fan 10 is moved away from thebase board 20 to disengage the rods 22 from the corresponding fixingholes 300. The cantilevers 304 of each block 30 are deformed toward eachother, to disengage the protrusions 380 from the corresponding cornerholes 120. Therefore, the block 30 can be easily removed from the fan10.

It is believed that the present embodiments and their advantages will beunderstood from the foregoing description, and various changes may bemade thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of thedescription or sacrificing all of their material advantages, theexamples hereinbefore described merely being exemplary embodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. A mounting device for mounting a fan having amain body and two opposite boards connected to opposite ends of the mainbody, comprising: two blocks to be mounted to opposite sides of a bottomof the main body of the fan; each block defining a fixing hole; and abase board forming two rods to be engaged in the fixing holes of thecorresponding blocks.
 2. The mounting device of claim 1, wherein eachblock is sandwiched between the boards, two protrusions extend out fromopposite ends of each block to be engaged in the boards of the fan. 3.The mounting device of claim 2, wherein a guiding surface slantinglyextends down from a top of each protrusion toward a distal end of theprotrusion.
 4. The mounting device of claim 1, wherein each block has asubstantially triangular cross-section, and comprises a bottom wall, asidewall perpendicularly extending up from a first side of the bottomwall, and a concave surface connected between a top side of the sidewalland a second side of the bottom wall opposite to the first side, eachconcave surface contacts the main body of the fan, the fixing hole ofeach block extends through the bottom wall and the concave surface. 5.The mounting device of claim 4, wherein two slots are defined in eachblock at opposite sides of the fixing hole, each slot extends throughthe bottom wall, a lower portion of the concave surface, and thesidewall, thereby, the block forming two deformable cantilevers atopposite ends and divided by the slots.
 6. An assembly, comprising: abase board forming two rods; a fan comprising a main body and two boardsperpendicularly connected to opposite ends of the main body; and twoblocks mounted to opposite sides of a bottom of the main body of thefan, and sandwiched between the boards; each block defining a fixinghole fitting about a corresponding rod.
 7. The assembly of claim 6,wherein two protrusions extend out from opposite ends of each block tobe engaged in the corresponding boards of the fan.
 8. The assembly ofclaim 7, wherein a guiding surface slantingly extends down from a top ofeach protrusion toward a distal end of the protrusion.
 9. The assemblyof claim 6, wherein each block has a substantially triangularcross-section, and comprises a bottom wall, a sidewall perpendicularlyextending up from a first side of the bottom wall, and a concave surfaceconnected between a top side of the sidewall and a second side of thebottom wall opposite to the first side, each concave surface contactsthe main body of the fan, the fixing hole of each block extends throughthe bottom wall and the concave surface.
 10. The assembly of claim 9,wherein two slots are defined in each block at opposite sides of thefixing hole, each slot extends through the bottom wall, a lower portionof the concave surface, and the sidewall, thereby, the block forming twodeformable cantilevers at opposite ends and divided by the slots.